Saint Joseph Catholic Church

The president of the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar (SECAM) said he was “proud and happy” after Pope Leo’s apostolic journey to four African nations and called for a greater worldwide recognition of the importance of the Church in Africa.

“Our Catholic faith opposes the taking of any life and it is with great disappointment and anguish that we have seen our country expand [assisted suicide] at a rapid and alarming rate,” Cardinal Leo wrote, as he called for “instead prioriz[ing] investments in palliative care, mental health support and resources for those who are increasingly marginalized and isolated, especially seniors and Canadians living with disabilities.”

“This initiative stems from the realization that the relationship between marriage, faith and the Church’s mission is now a pastoral and educational issue of particular importance,” the dicastery said. “In a time marked by profound cultural changes, the event aims to provide an opportunity to reflect on how to accompany young people, engaged couples, and married couples, and, at the same time, on how to train ministers and pastoral workers capable of supporting this journey with greater awareness and competence.”

Speakers include Cardinal Kevin Farrell, the dicastery’s prefect; Father Andrea Bozzolo, S.D.B., rector of the Pontifical Salesian University; and Father Fabio Rosini, a professor at the Pontifical University of the Holy Cross.

After a meeting with Israeli officials, the Latin Patriarchate, led by Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, O.F.M., announced it had filed a complaint about “the attacks against local residents and Patriarchate lands in several locations. Following this complaint, the authorities began the necessary actions, including pursuing those responsible and seizing heavy machinery used for land destruction and damage at the site.”

“Protecting Church endowment properties is a red line,” the Patriarchate said. “It will continue to take all legal and administrative steps needed to protect their sanctity, preserve their Church identity, defend their lawful rights, and continue supporting the local people.”

“The Holy Father has called both the Church and Christians engaged in social life to work for the coming of the Kingdom,” Bishop Juan Domingo-Beka Esono Ayang, C.M.F., of Mongomo said in an interview with the Vatican News podcast Nota Ecclesial. “The future is not something to be awaited passively; it calls for the commitment of each and every one of us.”

Auxiliary Bishop Dominic Nguyễn Tuan Anh of Xuân Lộc made his remarks after an April 24 papal audience with Vietnam’s bishops, who were in Rome for their ad limina visit.

“The Vietnamese Church is a family, and in our culture, family is very strong,” the prelate said. “The Church has also been blessed by God’s grace and by the blood of our martyrs ... So we need to unite; we need to unify, and with God’s grace, we can face this challenge in the way of faith, in the way of hope.”

Located in Southeast Asia, Vietnam is a Communist nation of 106.7 million (map) that is 48% Buddhist and 10% Christian, with 12% adhering to ethnic religions.

Citing Pope Francis’s 2018 revision of a paragraph of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, Pope Leo XIV said that “the Church teaches that ‘the death penalty is inadmissible because it is an attack on the inviolability and dignity of the person.’“